Middle East Near You

Hamas calls for joint leadership of Palestinian national programme

Hamas celebrate their 31st anniversary in Gaza
on 17 December 2018 [Mohammed Asad/Middle East Monitor]

December 29, 2018 at 10:51 am

Member of Hamas’ Political Bureau Mohammad Nazzal yesterday called for the formation of a joint Palestinian leadership to run the Palestinian national programme.

Speaking to Al-Quds TV, Nazzal said that Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas’ resolution to dissolve the Palestinian parliament “lacks wisdom, but was expected,” adding that: “Abbas deals with the Palestinian cause as if he is a head of one faction or head of the opposition, instead of acting as a Palestinian political leader”.

“If transparent elections were carried out, Mahmoud Abbas to be defeated overwhelmingly,” Nazzal continued. Yet he also stressed that there was no guarantee election results would be respected, no doubt referring to the 2006 Palestinian elections which saw the PA reject Hamas’ declaration of victory.

Nazzal stressed that Hamas wants to end the internal division with Fatah and the PA, but Abbas “personally” does not want this. “The formation of the joint room in Gaza is a proof that we want reconciliation with our Palestinian partners,” he said. Nazzal also stressed that he believes the majority of Fatah – which dominates the PA in the occupied West Bank – wants to see the internal division ended, adding: “There will not be reconciliation as long as Abbas is head of Fatah.”

Nazzal also discussed other events of 2018, including the Great March of Return which has been ongoing in the besieged Gaza Strip since 31 March. He said that the Palestinians in Gaza have succeeded in sending a message that they reject the so-called Deal of the Century, the US-led initiative that President Donald Trump claims will solve the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Nazzal also said that through its resistance attacks in the occupied West Bank earlier this month, Hamas sent a message that it is part of the overall Palestinian resistance and not only functional in the Strip. Hamas, Nazzal said, is also open to forging relations with all countries around the world – except the Israeli occupation – noting that Hamas’ relations with Iran had been affected by disagreements over Syria but that the relations “remained warm”.

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